Sept. 15, 1996
Three
years ago I impulsively gave up teaching a
familiar curriculum in a familiar setting and changed schools, grade levels, and most importantly,
school districts. This required giving up some sure things: the job security that came with a
continuing contract and the reputation I had spent years building up. When most teachers would
start talking of how many years they
had left until retirement, I set off in a new direction, ready to teach 7th grade language arts and
social studies.
Many acquaintances viewed my move as quixotic. Why would any teacher with half a brain CHOOSE to teach JUNIOR high??? After all, everyone knows that these pubescent adolescents are mixed-up, obnoxious, rebellious creatures, right? I defended my decision with one simple statement: I love teenagers.
I love the energy, the idealism, and the joie de vivre of emergent teenagers who are best described as raging bundles of hormones, ready to explode at the least provocation. This unpredictability keeps me on my toes and forces me to continuously strive to find better ways to reach them and teach them. Apparently not all share my enthusiasm! More often than not, when people ask what I do for a living and hear that I teach junior high school I get a look of genuine despair and sympathy and the words, "Oh....I'm so sorry to hear that."
Admittedly, when I began my career 25 years ago I swore I would never touch junior high school with a ten foot pole. Teachers chose to teach elementary school and high school, but no one seemed to voluntarily choose those transional years of turbulence. My own children changed my attitude. It seemed the older they got the more I loved them and everything about their lives. I never understood why people would say, "Don't you wish they could stay little forever?" NO! I relish each year that pushes Meg and William closer to independence and adulthood.
I may not stay with junior high school forever, but when I do move, it will most
likely be to older students. My favorite age group is 16 to 29 year olds, so it would seem logical
for me to someday work with young adults. Their lives stand in front of them. They hold the
future, and their friendship always keeps me young. For the moment, if I can help some
adolescents survive
junior high and start becoming responsible young adults, then more power to me.
